leadership vision that transcends generations

For David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it." So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.
1 Chronicles 22:5

King David's driving ambition before his death was to leave behind a life that commended the worship of the Lord. His last days on earth and his last acts as king were to make all the provisions for his son Solomon to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. This involved a massive amount of advance planning on his part. It was a project of worship.

David's reasons for doing so are diverse. His son Solomon was young and inexperienced. David wanted to leave him with the plans, the materials, and the funding in place to do this great thing. David had a huge vision to build a temple that was testament to the magnificent glory of God. It needed to be something that had never been done before. And that kind of extravagant worship involved lots of preparation. David wanted God's fame to draw the world to Jerusalem by the sheer beauty of the temple. God's fame would go out from the temple mount to all the lands of the earth.

These three factors (inexperience, extravagance, and outreach) are what led David to such serious planning. He laid up the supplies. He commissioned Solomon to the task. He made it the defining vision of the nation for the generation that succeeded him. David's leadership thus carried over an extra generation just because he was consumed with glorifying God. That is a benefit of letting God set leadership priorities. I had never really noticed this facet of the story before today. It is one worth considering. When I am consumed with devoting my life to the glory of God, my impact can outlast me. Future generations can catch and live out that same vision. In my opinion, that is leadership worth living for... forever! I want to find a way to make it the defining and overarching goal of all that I am doing in this life.